Sustainable Energy Group (SEG) – Submission on the N.B. Climate Action Plan
Standing Committee on Climate Change & Environmental Responsibility
The climate emergency
The wellbeing of younger generations and their descendants is in serious jeopardy resulting from incessant global warming brought about primarily from human dependence on fossil fuels. The 4th United Nations IPCC assessment report (2021) made clear that policy makers around the world – particularly in Canada and the developed countries – must take swift, decisive action to combat the global climate crisis. The report provides evidence that our planet is likely to reach, or exceed, 1.5 degrees warming within the next two decades. Actions therefore taken during this decade will determine whether humans can limit global warming to 1.5 degrees to prevent the most severe climate impacts. This must be achieved. But judging the path New Brunswick and other provinces have been following, it’s unlikely that the reduction of emissions in Canada will be sufficient. However, New Brunswick’s Climate Change Committee is well positioned to help our province do what is needed. We thank you for inviting submissions from groups and individuals who care deeply about the future.
SEG agrees with other presenters to the Standing Committee who urge shifting quickly to the low-carbon economy, as this is the best and only realistic path forward. We support the Pembina Institute study – Towards a Clean Energy Atlantic Grid – by Jan Gorski and Binnu Jeyakumar, January 2022. Their study identifies five main resources: renewable energy, battery and other energy storage methods, energy efficiency, imported hydroelectricity and smart grid demand flexibility. In concert, these resources can create a balanced and affordable clean electric grid for decades to come, complementing each other to replace the reliance on polluting fossil fuels, as well as dirty and risky nuclear power. Their study advises that the old axiom still being proclaimed by the NB Power CEO – that baseload energy is a necessity – no longer is a requirement to successfully operate a reliable modern electricity grid.
Following are our suggestions to the standing committee:
The role of NB Power
NB Power is a crown corporation meant to benefit all New Brunswickers. It has a history of investing in large, expensive projects that have failed to deliver on the promise of affordable and reliable electricity. Every project requires government approval and financing. The nuclear reactor at Point Lepreau is one prime example having amassed most of NB Power’s almost $5 Billion debt. It is now unfortunate that the government, by invitation, has yet again committed the province to two inexperienced foreign companies, ARC (American) and Moltex (British), to build – in competition with each other – advanced compact nuclear reactors for Point Lepreau, possibly Belledune, and elsewhere. The likelihood of success by either company is remote for this unproven technology. Modular reactors will certainly be very costly to taxpayers, risky to the environment, and will contribute no positive impact in reaching the climate imperative by 2040, or later. On the contrary, funding SMRs is more likely to hinder further development of already available renewable energy, energy storage, and grid efficiency technologies. This grim scenario for most New Brunswickers today is even worse for succeeding generations who stand to inherit both the consequence and the bill. Thankfully, it is not yet too late to correct this error.
Net-metering reform
There are four items needing change to make the net-metering program viable and appealing to homeowners and small businesses. These alterations can also benefit NB Power by reducing energy demand and to help level the costly daily energy peaks and valleys in the grid. We suggest the following for the 2022 Climate Action Plan:
- HST: Currently NB Power customers with the net-metering program do not pay or receive HST on power they export to the grid. But when the kWh credit returns as imported power from the grid the free kWh owner is charged HST. It is unethical to charge tax on the sun and wind that provide a ubiquitous renewable energy (RE) resource. Federal and provincial legislation should remove this tax. New Brunswick can unilaterally remove the tax on RE on its portion of the HST and apply pressure on the federal government to do the same.
- Power outages: Solar panels should be able to continue providing power to homes and businesses during power outages when it is needed most. Safety concerns involving electrical workers are possible to eliminate during power outages; a switch can be installed on DC to AC inverters to automatically shut off power to the grid during outages and turn it on again once power from the grid has been restored. Home and small business owners with both solar and battery storage can then continue to produce and use stored power to run essential lights and appliances without immediate loss of power.
- Electric Vehicles: The anticipated large increase in the use of electric vehicles (EVs) will require a similar increase in home charging EV infrastructure, creating increasing demand for PV panels and net-metering. Conversely, EVs should be able to provide electricity to homes during power outages.
- Credit cancellation: All credits that net-metering customers may still have left should not be zeroed out by NB Power at the end of March. We believe homeowners and small businesses in the position to export more power than they consume over one year should either have their credit paid in full or split equally between the utility and the net-metering energy provider.
Emergency shelters
Presently, most NB cities and larger municipalities do not provide emergency shelters that can house a significant number of people during extended power outages. The developing climate problem is creating the new reality that current climate preparedness and adaptation measures may not meet the public need for access to emergency shelters for up to three days. Emergency shelters, hospitals and some nursing homes, will require backup power that currently is being provided by diesel generators in some smaller municipalities. Effort needs to be made to replace emission-producing diesel generators with renewable energy, including solar, wind, or possibly in-river turbines, supported by energy storage assistance. Importantly, renewable energy generators can provide power on a continuous basis, thereby reducing the cost of this needed infrastructure. Most cities and larger towns have developed next to rivers, making them possibly ideal for year-round in-river turbine generation if that technology can be made to work in New Brunswick’s freezing winters and powerful spring freshets.
Environmental Bill of Rights
The now completed Environmental Bill of Rights (EBR) was submitted in 2020 in both official languages to the New Brunswick Legislature by members of the Environmental Bill of Rights Caucus of the New Brunswick Environmental Network (NBEN). The official virtual launch was held June 2nd, 2021. We are hopeful that the provincial Legislature will pass the bill soon. The EBR is very much consistent with the Climate Action Plan as it will protect our children and their descendants so they can live in a province that is healthy for all people and nature. By adopting this bill, New Brunswick can take a leading provincial initiative in delivering environmental stewardship for future generations by putting the wellbeing and rights of children at the forefront. Adopting the EBR is likely to attract new Canadians to our beautiful province to work and live, thereby increasing the population and tax base.
Thank you for considering our suggestions, as well as all other submissions, in your essential deliberations to make the best possible plan for the next five years. Please keep in mind that we need to do all we can to help the lives and interests of future generations. May your new Climate Action Plan be both bold and environmentally responsible.